Magnetically supported vehicle engine warmer

ABSTRACT

An electric engine warming heater adapted to be magnetically secured to any selected portion of a vehicle engine. The heater includes a flat base member, which may be of magnetic material, having a top surface provided with slots in which are disposed electric heating coils. A housing secured to the top of base member covers encloses the heating coils. The top and two opposite sidewalls of the housing are formed by a permanent horse-shoe magnet. The other sidewalls of the housing are formed by flat plates secured to the legs of the horse-show magnet. A cyclindrical bar magnet is secured to the base portion of the horse-shoe magnet and projects downwardly therefrom into the center of a ring-shaped magnet secured to the base member.

United States Patent 1191 Peters MAGNETICALLY SUPPORTED VEHICLE ENGINE WARMER 76] Inventor: Raymond W. Peters, Rt. 3, Box 192,

Arcadia, Wis. 54612 [22] Filed: Dec. 5, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 421,767

[52] US. Cl. 219/205, 123/142.5 E, 219/208,

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS Great Britain 123/1425 E 11] 3,835,290 1451 Sept. 10, 1974 Primary Examiner-A. Bartis [57] ABSTRACT An electric engine warming heater adapted to be magnetically secured to any selected portion of a vehicle engine. The heater includes a flat base member, which may be of magnetic material, having a top surface provided with slots in which are disposed electric heating coils. A housing secured to the top of base member covers encloses the heating coils. The top and two opposite sidewalls of the housing are formed by a permanent horse-shoe magnet. The other sidewalls of the housing are formed by flat plates secured to the legs of the horse-show magnet. A cyclindrical bar magnet is secured to the base portion of the horse-shoe magnet and projects downwardly therefrom into the center of a ring-shaped magnet secured to the base member.

4 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures MAGNETICALLY SUPPORTED VEHICLE ENGINE WARMER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates generally to vehicles and more particularly to a novel vehicle engine warmer adapted to be magnetically supported at any position on an engine in a manner to apply heat thereto for retaining the engine in condition for ease of starting.

2. Description of the Prior Art It is well known that in cold weather it is difficult to start internal combustion engines due to the viscosity of the oil in the engine becoming stiffened to a degree that there is little or no lubrication provided to the engine during initial start-up with the initial congealed high viscosity condition of the cold oil preventing ease of engine starting due to an excessive frictional load imposed on the pistons of the engine, this requiring a higher load on the electrical engine starter thus imposing a high electrical load on the battery, with such load possibly being so great that the engine will fail to start at all due to insufficient cranking ability of the starting motor due to the high electrical energy drain on the engine battery.

In an effort to maintain an engine warm to prevent such congealing of the oil or to increase the combustability of the gas being injected thereinto for combustion, heaters have been proposed in the prior art but such have been unsatisfactory for various reasons. Among such reasons were the fact that such heaters were not readily portable and were not self-supporting on the exterior of the engine in any selected position thereon.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention overcomes the deficiencies and disadvantages of prior art vehicle engine warming devices by providing a novel warming device which is self-supporting, compact, and readily portable and which may be readily positioned on substantially any selected position on an engine without the necessity of having to bolt, hang or otherwise clamp the warming device to the engine, such that the device may be positioned adjacent to the oil can to keep the oil at a sufficient temperature to make the starting of the vehicle less difficult; it may be positioned adjacent the exhaust manifolds on the side of the engine immediately above the water jackets of the engine to thus retain the cooling water of the engine at a sufficient temperature to retain the engine and associated oil at a temperature for ease of starting of the engine; it may be positioned adjacent to the carburater or intake manifold to maintain the same at a warm temperature to insure better combustion of the gas fuel passing therethrough; or which may be positioned at any other selected location on the engine.

It is a feature of the present invention to provide a vehicle engine warmer which is self-supporting and readily portable and which is adapted to magnetically attach itself to the engine at substantially any selected position thereon. v

The provision of a magnetically supported vehicle engine warming device, such as briefly outlined above, and possessing the stated features and advantages, constitutes the principal features and advantages of the present invention. The provision of a magnetically supported vehicle engine warming device which is relatively simple in its construction and which therefore may be readily manufactured at a relatively low cost and by simple manufacturing methods; one which is devoid of moving parts and which therefore is unlikely to get out of order; one which is rugged and durable and which therefore may be guaranteed by the manufacturer to withstand many years of intended usage; one which is easy to use and reliable and efficient in operation; and one which, otherwise, is well adapted to perform the services required of it, are further desirable features and advantages which have been borne in mind in the production and development of the present invention.

Other features and advantages of this invention will be apparent during the course of the following descripnon.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, and in which like reference characters are employed to designate like parts throughout the same:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle engine having the warming device of the present invention positioned thereon;

FIG. 2. is a perspective view of the warming device;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along Line 3-3 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is an exploded fragmentary perspective view of the warming device.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings in detail there is illustrated a preferred form of an engine warming device constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention and designated generally in its entirety by the reference numeral 10 and is comprised of a base member 11 and a housing member 12.

The base member 11 is of a substantially flat rectangular configuration having a top surface 21, a bottom surface 22, opposed end edges 23 and 24, and opposed side edges 25 and 26. The base member may be formed of a magnetic material if so desired in order to assist in retaining the warming device 10 to a vehicle engine. Mounted centrally of top surface 21 is a ring shaped magnet 27 having a central opening 28 and extending upwardly from the top surface, the magnet 27 secured to the top surface in any desired manner, such as by so]- dering, adhesives, and the like. Disposed on each side of magnet 27 and extending parallel to opposed side edges 25 and 26 are a pair of transversely spaced apart longitudinally elongated rectangularly shaped slots 29 adapted to receive therein suitable electrical resistance coils 30 which are connected in electrical series relationship by a wire 31 at one end thereof with the opposite ends of the coils connected by suitable electric wires 31 to one end of a cord 32 which extends away from the base 11 and terminates in a plug 33 adapted to be plugged into a conventional household receptacle 34 to provide electrical energy to the coils 30.

In the preferred embodiment the coils 30 are made of nichrome resistance wire with the unit having power requirements of 850 to 1000 watts, and with the wires 30 being either suitably insulated in the slots 29, or alternatively, the slots 29 being provided with suitable electrical insulating barriers to maintain an electrical insulation between the wires 30 and the base 11.

The housing 12 is formed of an elongated permanent horse-shoe magnet 41 having a base portion 42 and opposed depending leg portions 43, the base portion forming the top of the housing with the leg portions forming the opposed side wall surfaces of the housing, the leg portions terminating at a bottom edge 44 which is adapted to rest on the top surface 21 of base 11 adjacent associated side edges 25 and 26. An elongated cysupplying electrical energy to the coils 30.

In operation, housing 12 is magnetically secured to base 11 to form the warming device 10, with the bottom surface 22 of the base being easily positioned on {the engine 8 and preferably on any position on the block 9 of the engine-without any necessity of bolting,

screwing, clamping, tying, or in any other way securing the device to the engine block, with it being understood that after such securement the plug 33 is plugged into a receptacle 34 to energize coils 30 and thus deliver heat to the selected point of the engine block for the purpose of keeping the block warm at that point.

It is to be understood that the form of this invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, and that this invention is not to be limited to the exact arrangement of parts shown in accompanying drawings or described in this specification as various changes in details of construction as to shape, size, arrangement of ,parts may be re sorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention, the scope of the novel concepts thereof, or the scope of the sub-joined claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed 1. An engine-warming device intended for retaining a portion of an engine warm during cold periods of nonuse for easier starting of the engine, the device comprising a substantially flat rectangularly shaped base member having a top surface, a bottom surface, opposed front and back edges, and opposed side edges, a ring shaped magnet disposed centrally of said top surface and projecting outwardly therefrom and defining a circular opening therein, a housing including a permanent horse-shoe magnet having a base portion and depending opposed parallel extending leg portions terminating at edge portions, the base portion and leg portions of said horse-shoe magnet defining the top surface and opposed side wall surfaces of said housing, an elongated cylindrically shaped bar type permanent magnet having one end attached to the interior surface of said horse-shoe magnet base portion and projecting downwardly therefrom parallel to said leg portions and terminating in an opposite end adapted to be magnetically received within the opening of said ring shaped magnet on said base member when said housingis rested on the top surface of said base member, said leg portion terminal edges adapted to rest on said top surface of said base member adjacent associated side edges thereof, means defining front and back wall surfaces of said housing for closing the front and back edge surfaces of said permanent horse-shoe magnet, an electrically energized heating means disposed on said base member and adapted to be energized by a source of electrical energy to provide heat to said base member whereby said warming device may-magnetically secure the base thereof to a selected position on an engine block for the heating of the same.

2. The warming device as set forth in claim 1 further characterizedby said heating means comprising a pair of heating coils formed of suitable electrical resistance wire, and wherein said base member top surface is provided with a pair of elongated spaced apart slots formed in the top surface thereof with each slot adapted to receive a heating coil therein to effect the heating of said base member upon electrical energization of said heating coils.

3. The warming device as set forth in claim 2 wherein said means forming said front and back wall surfaces of said housing comprises substantially flat rectangularly shaped members each extending intermediate said permanent horse-shoe magnet base portion and leg portions and having a terminal edge disposed co-planar with said terminal edge of said leg portions, said front wall having an opening extending therethrough, an insulating grommet received in said opening, an electrical cord passing through said grommet and having one end electrically connected to said heating coils with the opposite end having a plug electrically connected thereto and mounted thereon and adapted for plugging into a conventional-household type receptacle.

4. The warming device as set forth in claim 3 wherein the base member is formed of a magnetic material. 

1. An engine warming device intended for retaining a portion of an engine warm during cold periods of nonuse for easier starting of the engine, the device comprising a substantially flat rectangularly shaped base member having a top surface, a bottom surface, opposed front and back edges, and opposed side edges, a ring shaped magnet disposed centrally of said top surface and projecting outwardly therefrom and defining a circular opening therein, a housing including a permanent horse-shoe magnet having a base portion and depending opposed parallel extending leg portions terminating at edge portions, the base portion and leg portions of said horse-shoe magnet defining the top surface and opposed side wall surfaces of said housing, an elongated cylindrically shaped bar type permanent magnet having one end attached to the interior surface of said horse-shoe magnet base portion and projecting downwardly therefrom parallel to said leg portions and terminating in an opposite end adapted to be magnetically received within the opening of said ring shaped magnet on said base member when said housing is rested on the top surface of said base member, said leg portion terminal edges adapted to rest on said top surface of said base member adjacent associated side edges thereof, means defining front and back wall surfaces of said housing for closing the front and back edge surfaces of said permanent horse-shoe magnet, an electrically energized heating means disposed on said base member and adapted to be energized by a source of electrical energy to provide heat to said base member whereby said warming device may magnetically secure the base thereof to a selected position on an engine block for the heating of the same.
 2. The warming device as set forth in claim 1 further characterized by said heating means comprising a pair of heating coils formed of suitable electrical resistance wire, and wherein said base member top surface is provided with a pair of elongated spaced apart slots formed in the top surface thereof with each slot adapted to receive a heating coil therein to effect the heating of said base member upon electrical energization of said heating coils.
 3. The warmIng device as set forth in claim 2 wherein said means forming said front and back wall surfaces of said housing comprises substantially flat rectangularly shaped members each extending intermediate said permanent horse-shoe magnet base portion and leg portions and having a terminal edge disposed co-planar with said terminal edge of said leg portions, said front wall having an opening extending therethrough, an insulating grommet received in said opening, an electrical cord passing through said grommet and having one end electrically connected to said heating coils with the opposite end having a plug electrically connected thereto and mounted thereon and adapted for plugging into a conventional household type receptacle.
 4. The warming device as set forth in claim 3 wherein the base member is formed of a magnetic material. 